Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the evidence for oil and gas on the Porcupine Bank, west of County Galway. [3526/13]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The level of exploration offshore Ireland is low and as a result Ireland’s petroleum potential is largely unproven with only four commercial gas discoveries since exploration began in the early 1970s; namely the Kinsale, Ballycotton and Seven Heads producing gas fields off the coast of Cork and the Corrib gas field off the Mayo coast, which is currently being developed. There have been no commercial discoveries of oil to date.

Despite the low level of exploration activity to date, working petroleum systems are known to exist in many of Ireland’s offshore basins, as demonstrated by a number of non-commercial discoveries as well as other oil and gas indicators such as hydrocarbon shows in wells. The following table details the seventeen discoveries offshore Ireland to date, including three non-commercial discoveries in the Porcupine Basin.

Commercial Discoveries - Offshore Ireland

Non-Commercial Discoveries - Offshore Ireland

*Oil the Barryroe structure identified in 1973. Primary Barryroe reservoir (Basal Wealden Sands) initially tested in 1990. Providence Resources successfully drilled, appraised and improved oil flow rates from the Basal Wealden Sands in 2012.